to presume that Hamas did not historically target civilians in quite brutal terror operations…is a gross rationalization.

No one has “pretended” any such thing. Hamas has targeted civilians just as Israel has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. In fact, far more Palestinian civilians have been killed than Israeli.

When Hamas firmly COMMITS to reconciliation with Israel and Israelis, then your comments can be of the past.

When Israel commits to reconciliation with Palestine and ends the Occupation then your comments can be taken seriously. Until then…not.

There is also a precedent of Islam blotting out history opportunistically. Consider how frequently some Islamicists have stated “Jews never lived in Palestine”.

Just as there is the same tendency among extremist Jews to exploit Judaism in order to blot out inconvenient facts. Besides, it is neither Islam nor Judaism that is at fault for this abuse. It is the extremists on both sides who do violence to their own respective religious traditions.

Many Zionists reason that acceptance of Jews even, would not have occurred without Israel assertively defending itself. To the extent that the recent Gaza military action was defensive (not none by any stretch), that occurs.

This is hopelessly muddled. If Gaza was a defensive action then it means that Jews will be accepted by Palestinians? First, Gaza was an entirely ineffective operation if it was intended defensively. So let’s rule out the defensive aspect of it. Instead, it was an entirely offensive operation aimed at striking a punishing blow at all 1.5 million Gazans. As such the notion that Israel could do anything toward bringing acceptance of itself or Jews is beyond ludicrous.

I don’t know where the line was between what was abusive and what was defensive or rationally deterrent.

And that’s precisely the problem with yr entire perspective. YOu refuse to know, understand or see what almost all the rest of us can see with our own two eyes. It’s pathetic really.

There are usually many rational options.

Unless the US is willing to simultaneously force Hamas to unify with Fatah, and to force Israel to forcefully remove settlers from their homes, any peace (or any justice) will have to happen by consent.

It is rational for Israel to hate Hamas; it is also rational for Palestinians to hate Israel. One hopes that both sides will find a way to transcend rationality.

When Hamas firmly COMMITS to reconciliation with Israel and Israelis, then your comments can be of the past. Its not occurred yet.

There is also a precedent of Islam blotting out history opportunistically. Consider how frequently some Islamicists have stated “Jews never lived in Palestine”.

I agree with you that to exclude Muslims from a shrine to acceptance is wrong. Any such shrine should be delayed until a confident statement of “we accept others, and we are accepted by others” occurs in fact.

Many Zionists reason that acceptance of Jews even, would not have occurred without Israel assertively defending itself. To the extent that the recent Gaza military action was defensive (not none by any stretch), that occurs.

I don’t know where the line was between what was abusive and what was defensive or rationally deterrent.